Cherry is about Angelina (Ashley Hinshaw), an 18-year-old girl on the verge of finishing high school. Angelina's family life is difficult. Her mother (Lili Taylor) is an alcoholic and her step-father is violent and unpredictable. One… MoreCherry is about Angelina (Ashley Hinshaw), an 18-year-old girl on the verge of finishing high school. Angelina's family life is difficult. Her mother (Lili Taylor) is an alcoholic and her step-father is violent and unpredictable. One morning her boyfriend (Jonny Weston) suggests she take naked pictures for money. She balks at first but then does the photo shoot, using the money to run-off with her best friend (Dev Patel) to San Francisco. In San Francisco, while cocktailing in a strip club, Angelina meets Frances (James Franco) a well-off lawyer who offers to introduce her to a different kind of world, a place full of expensive dresses and fancy parties. But that world is not as perfect as it first appears and Frances has problems of his own. At the same time Angelina, using the moniker Cherry, has begun exploring the San Francisco porn industry under the direction of Margaret (Heather Graham) a former performer turned adult film director. -- (C) Official Site

Dramas about the porn industry range from expressions of puritanical rage to celebrations of open sexuality; this one manages to avoid both extremes, as well as anything else that might make it worth watching.

It is irritating to see a movie so awfully edited and structured, full of artificial conflicts and with a horrible dialogue, unable even to maintain focus and,… MoreIt is irritating to see a movie so awfully edited and structured, full of artificial conflicts and with a horrible dialogue, unable even to maintain focus and, worst of all, to offer any particularly interesting insight into its protagonist, who remains in the end a poorly delineated sketch.

The Movie Waffler

Americans have a curious relationship with porn. It's a billion dollar industry with a product enjoyed by most of the population yet it's coverage in… MoreAmericans have a curious relationship with porn. It's a billion dollar industry with a product enjoyed by most of the population yet it's coverage in the media would have you think it's run solely by criminals. Any films tackling the subject have always focused on the negative aspects, most of which are applicable to any get-rich-quick business, of the industry. 'About Cherry' bucks the trend, showing the world of porn as far less maladjusted than the mainstream.
Hinshaw does a good job in the lead role and is undoubtedly a star in the making. The film itself is quite a bore, filled with cliched characters like the manipulative alcoholic mother (Taylor), the disapproving boyfriend (Franco), and the platonic friend (Patel) who can't express his true feelings for our protagonist.
Hinshaw's breasts aside, there's nothing here we haven't seen before.

Walter M.

With her mother(Lili Taylor) being an alcoholic, 18-year old Angelina(Ashley Hinshaw) is left to take care of her younger sister Jojo(Maya Raines). At the same… MoreWith her mother(Lili Taylor) being an alcoholic, 18-year old Angelina(Ashley Hinshaw) is left to take care of her younger sister Jojo(Maya Raines). At the same time, Angelina desperately wants to spread her wings and live her own life. But her job at a laundromat is not going to get her far. So, she poses nude for Vaughn(Ernest Waddell). That gets her the money for her and her friend Andrew(Dev Patel) to move to San Francisco. That's where she works as a waitress in a strip club where she meets Frances(James Franco).
Alternately erotic and chaste, "About Cherry" does admittedly suffer from a lack of focus at times. But it is also refreshing in it not being a garden variety cautionary tale. Rather, it is about somebody who is surrounded by cautionary tales. And it is a nice touch that the movie depicts a corner of the adult film industry as being both gay and female friendly. Out of all the surprises here, the biggest has to be the neat turn by none other than Heather Graham.

Christopher Haskell

Initially excited about this film, "About Cherry" severely drops the ball with its meandering nature and complete disregard for the talented new… MoreInitially excited about this film, "About Cherry" severely drops the ball with its meandering nature and complete disregard for the talented new actress Ashley Hinshaw. With both James Franco and Dev Patel having such potential in these roles, both are squandered for no apparent reason, with all focus being placed on Hinshaw and her fall into pornography, which never really has a purpose or reason and, instead, is just something she does for money. Had she been given a reason to need money, we could have cared. Her disregard for the men around her is questionable, the drunken mother routine overplayed and unrealistic, and any attempt at a twist or development is horribly telegraphed the instance it is introduced. Without the sexy and talented Ashley Hinshaw, this film would have been a complete bust (no pun intended).

Dann Michalski

Unfocused and lazy, About Cherry is a poorly made film that's kind of pretentious. There's not much of a plot: a teen runaway heads to San Francisco… MoreUnfocused and lazy, About Cherry is a poorly made film that's kind of pretentious. There's not much of a plot: a teen runaway heads to San Francisco and gets involved in the pornography industry. However, as provocative as the material is the film doesn't seem to know what it wants to say about it. The cast features Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, and Heather Graham, but the material limits them. Bland and superficial, About Cherry is uninspired and pointless.

Ina S

I am sure that this was made with incredible noble intentions. In fact these intentions basically scream from the screen, I was almost expecting race and, say,… MoreI am sure that this was made with incredible noble intentions. In fact these intentions basically scream from the screen, I was almost expecting race and, say, climate change to come up, too, as they seemed to be pretty much the only issues this movie skipped. The cast isn't bad, Ashley Hinshaw is great even. But storytelling is non-existent, the whole film crammed with themes. Some lines are so terrible that they made my skin crawl. Avoid please, you will be bored senseless.

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